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EARTHQUAKE ›› 2018, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (2): 84-94.

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Regional Gravity Changes Associated with Several Large Earthquakes Observed by GRACE

WANG Wu-xing1, LIANG Ming2   

  1. 1.Key Laboratory of Earthquake Prediction, Institute of Earthquake Science, CEA, Beijing 100036, China;
    2.Guangdong Earthquake Agency, Guangzhou 510070, China
  • Received:2018-02-05 Published:2019-08-15

Abstract: Based on GRACE observation data, we calculate and analyze the gravity change in the Himalaya subduction zone and its surrounding areas in recent years. The characteristics of gravity change show that the large earthquakes, such as 2005 Pakistan MS7.8, 2008 Wenchuan MS8.0, 2011 Myanmar MS7.2 and 2015 Nepal MS8.1 all occurred in the regions with significant gravity changes. There has a common progress containing mainly two stages for the abnormal gravity changes associated with these earthquakes. Firstly, the regional gravity decreases rapidly a few years before the earthquake. And then, the gravity recovers with rapid increase. This progress of abnormal gravity change can be fitted with quadratic polynomial. All the large earthquakes occurred after or during this progress. This common progress of abnormal gravity changes is similar to the co- and post-seismic gravity changes of the Sumatra MW9.3 and Tohoku-Oki MW9.0 earthquakes. But the amplitude of the gravity change is much smaller, and the decrease of gravity restored soon with no permanent deformation. Combining with vertical displacement observed by GPS, precipitation and groundwater reserves, and thermal anomaly of the region, we proposed a physical process model to explain the common characteristics of regional gravity changes. During the Sumatra MW9.3 and its huge aftershocks, the extension and subsidence of crust occurred in some regions around the Himalaya subduction zone, and then, it changed to compression and uplift.

Key words: GRACE satellites, Gravity change, Himalaya subduction zone, Large earthquakes

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